The bipolar, heroin-using son of a prominent Albany lawyer walked into a Manhattan courtroom at least three times last year, facing judges and representing a paying client — despite having no law degree, authorities said yesterday.

Terence Kindlon, 42, just wants to be a real attorney, his defense lawyer argued in Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday.

Unfortunately, “he does not know at times when he is taking over another character,” said the lawyer, Stacey Richman.

Kindlon — charged with practicing law without a license and filing false documents — most recently played criminal lawyer on Nov. 29 in Manhattan Criminal Court, prosecutors say.

Court records show he returned there the next day as a defendant to face two felony-burglary charges.

“The defendant has shown the utmost contempt of the courts — pretending to be a lawyer in the same courthouse where he has two open cases,” the Manhattan DA’s Public Integrity Unit chief, Daniel Cort, said at Kindlon’s arraignment.

Kindlon also claimed to be “in-house counsel” to Rocco’s Landscaping, a small business on Staten Island, prosecutors say.

“I am the in-house counsel for Rocco’s Landscaping,” Kindlon asserted in court, according to police statements.

Kindlon, who prosecutors described as an apparent heroin user, never saw the criminal case — described only as involving a misdemeanor mischief charge — through to disposition, and allegedly did even less work for Rocco’s Landscaping.

“He left those people high and dry . . . while representing them on six civil cases,” Cort said. “He took [their] money and never came to court.”

Kindlon played lawyer using the name of an actual Manhattan attorney and the ruse was exposed when prosecutors called the real lawyer. O’Brien did not immediately return calls seeking comment yesterday.

The eldest of seven siblings, Kindlon attended the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan 20 years ago, passed the New York bar exam within the past year and has worked as a paralegal, his father, also named Terence Kindlon, told The Post.

“I’m going to be up front . . . he has severe emotional problems,” said the dad.